Mold for the manufacture of concrete fence-posts.



J. E. DOWDEN. MOLD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CONCRETE FENCE POSTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20'. 1 917.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

JOHN E. DO'W'DEN, OF LAKE PRESTON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

MOLD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CONCRETE FENCE-POSTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

Application filed June 20, 1917. Serial No. 175,771.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OHN E. DOWDEN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lake Preston, in the county of Kingsbury and State of South Dakota, have invented a certain new and useful Mold for the Manufacture of Concrete Fence-Posts, of which the following is the specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a fence post mold of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a mold so constructed and arranged that a plurality of posts may be made at the same time from a single pouring of concrete.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved collapsible mold adapted to form a plurality of concrete fence posts, which may be readily taken apart to remove the post, when they have hardened and which is so constructed that it may be used under varying conditions such as for instance as using it with a cement sidewalk or other smooth surface for a pallet.

With these and other objects in view, my invention further consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my improved collapsible mold having parts broken away to better illustrate the con struction.

Fig. 2 shows a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of a completed post formed by the use of my improved mold, and

Fig. 4 shows a detailed perspective view of parts of my device illustrating means for manufacturing posts of a particular shape.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate enerally a pallet upon which a plurality of boards 11 of equal size are placed on edge. The boards 11 are spaced relative to each other and the space between each pair of the boards 11 is adapted to receive the concrete to form one post. Each of the boards 11 with the exception of'the outer two is provided at the upper and lower edges of their sides with laterally projecting strips 12 adapted to form a beveled or any other desired configuration on the corners of the completed post. The outer members 11 are provided with similar strips 12 on their inner sides but not on their outer sides. The ends of the spaces between the members 11 are closed by means of end pieces consisting of boards 13 having a plurality of blocks 14 mounted on their inner surfaces. The blocks 14 and the boards 13 are each of the same width as the members 11 and the blocks 14 are of such length and so spaced from each other that the endsof each member 11 will be snugly received between a pair of blocks 14 thereby forming mortise joints between the boards 11 and the end pieces. The strips 12 have their ends cut the same distance from thelends of the boards 11 as the blocks 14 are wide, so that when the boards 11 are received between the blocks 14, the ends of the strips 12 will abut against the blocks 14 thereby increasing the strength of the uni-on between the boards 11 and the end pieces and also limiting the tendency of the assembled mold to buckle. The boards 13 are of such length that when all of the boards 11 are received within their proper notches, the ends of the board 13 will project beyond the outer boards 11. Fixed to this projecting end of the member 13 at the side adjacent to the boards 11 are triangular blocks 15, which are so arranged that the end of the outer boards 11 will be received with- I extends along the block 15 past the edge'of the member 13 where it is bent to form a book 18 having a handle member 19 formed at the end thereof. The member 16 is so shaped that the corner of the block 15 will be tightly received between said member 16 and the adjacent side of the outer'member 11 and also has the hook portion 18 so arranged that it will continually exert yielding pressure tending to hold the member 11 into the mortise between block 15 and the adjacent block 14 when the hook is in engagement with the member 13. At each end of the boards 11 a central pin 20 is placed, which projects through a suitably alined hole in the board 13 when the mold is assembled' thereby tending-to further limit buckling ofthe mold and also insuring that the end member must be moved. away, from the boards 11 in such direction that there will be the leastdanger of the completed I produce fence posts 21:. such: aseareashowni in Fig. 3 having beveled corners 22. It will be understood that: suitable: forms may be secured to. the." blocks 14:: so: that the upper or'. loweriendsiof thefpost In ayb'e': formed in anyxdesirert shape: Pattern moldsmay also be: secured; to? the: sides of the members 11-, should it be"; S01 d esiredE. In fact it 'w-ill be understoedi that? any; desired: sh ape of" fence piestimay"beunade't byrmeans ofimy improved multiple fence. piosti form, rovided' only that"? the: mold? required to 5 ma 6 the"- desired pattern! be removed from thepost: by moving it directly away from the adjacent sur ia cee otth'e postt. It will" also be understood: tliatc-the: size' ffmy/ devicemay be" varied to: suitrthes size ofl'the' post .1 desired and thatipracticallyl any number ofl'po'stsz m'ay b'e m'ade" ati'thersame time merely. adding to the: length of the? end! m'embersi and l increasin'gz thernumber/ of the: side.membersz Assuming-athat ltl issdesiredt to' make the" great?- est possild'lee-numbenofzi posts of th'e' typewhich: would-. be produced by the mold shown in Fig} 1! off the drawings,- the-mem berss would. be assembled" ass shown. in Fig! 1 and either placed upon a. pallet such as" is showiiiat 10 in Fig. 2i orplaced on any con"- venientt. smooth surface. Posts: have been madewiththerusenf thismold by; using. an ordinary. cemen'tfsidewa-lk instead of the pallet. that. the: mold. has: been placed. upon: the? pallet: and the concrete mixed; theconcrete: is" then. poured into; the mold: until; each: of the: spaces: between the boardsi 11-; is; completely: filled. The: form may then beallowedrto remaincin place until the concrete'ha's-hardenedi so that it isvde sired to; remove? the mold therefrom; The first? step in the: latter: operation isatoa move the hooks-.18: at-oneendoutiozf operative re:- lation. with theeboardsvlB andwhen tap the surface of the'memloen 13"With a hammer or mallet until.- the rparticle's of: concrete have been loosened: therefrom.- The entire: end n embercmay be then: slid outwardly, away from: the: ends? of]. the. finished; post on: the pinsa20. When; the. end member. slides off the pinsQO; itlmay beelaid to one-side; and a similar oper-atioi-i-v performedi Witll'l the second: end m einber-a Inmost cases;.., the re movalot; the. end membersleaves the balance. ottth eiboards unconnected as the. dry

ing oi. the; concrete duringfgits setting: ordinaril-y separates the posts? fromthe adjacent'ihold e-tliat the; moldLboa-rds: may-be move'diwithout difli'cu'ltyt- If; .however,

a- .p'ostshould stickto amold, a very, slight from" both the adj a'ce'nt mppingof the mold is usually sufficient to jar it. loose. from the particles of concrete, which arestuok to it: In Fig. 4 of the drawings; Izhaveshown aimeans for making fence than are the other posts asthe Wire extends from them' in two directions;- which are at ri -ht angles-to each' other. For'tliis reason inclined brace rodsare: usually: run post 170* the upper part of the corner; p'o'st thereby: preventing it from being broken:or-moved froin arver ticalposition:v In=ordento secure-theseinclined braces to-the corn'er post. some. means are necessary toprevent the ends of these braces from; moving? up i and: downi relative t'o' thepostss Fon'this reason it isPcustomar tOprOVide-lateraIly; ektending lugs or priojeetionson the" corner post; In order to adapt my" form to mak ei corner fence? posts of 'sufii'cient strength but'hav-ing the n'ece'ss sary lateral: lugs, I" provide an auxiliary form: consisting ofi 'a-bas'e board 23; which: is secured to" a hollow rectanggulai fern r124. The inside of the' rectangular form 24 is adaptech to form the laterai= lug' when; the concrete is. poured'i. into? the. mold? and the base board 23* forms a-isupport; which may rest. apart the board's 11 I1 also make. my corner posts of greater size and strength than are theiothe'r. posts used in a' fencerand to accomplish. this result: omit one of the boards 11 thereby making the cornefn pets twice as wide as: a're-ethe: other "posts o the fence. It is is desired thattthetopen'dn of the post be smooth the groove between the blocks 14, which receives the board: 11!. may be filledby; a' suitable strip .of"wood or:other material: The r base board: 23 'i's adapted: to

be detachably secured" t'o the-boards 1 1a by means of holes 25 which" extend clear through: the-beards 1 1i and receivepin's 26 when". the basei 23" is. mounted on" the! form. By the? use? of holes 25",: which extend clear throughthe': boardsF 11 it i will be i seerr that when the. moldis-"usedi formaking-ordinary crete, which-wmay have lodgedithereini when It? is" desired; to. insert holes.-v

the pins 26: in the It: will be? seen. fromr the: foregoing; that my improved collapsible mold is especially adapted for the building of fence posts on account of its few and simple parts and because of the ease with which it may be operated. It will be seen from the foregoing description that I have provided three separate means for preventing the buckling of the assembled mold so that there is practically no danger of the posts being made crooked. The first of these devices consists of the mortise joints between the blocks 1 1, the strips 12 and the boards 11, the second device consists .of the pins 20 with their cooperating openings in the board 13 and the third device consists of the blocks 15, which cooperate with the resilient members 16 to form a rigid joint. By the use of my improved mold, a large number of fence osts may be made within a very short time and with the use of but a very small amount of material for forms. The use of this collapsible form further does away with the large amount of waste of lumber Where temporary forms are nailed or otherwise secured together in the ordinary manner.

I- claim as my invention: 7 1. In a mold for fence posts, a pair of end members having a series of spaced, vertical grooves, each of said end members having near its ends blocks projecting laterally toward the opposite end member having beveled outer surfaces, the inner surface of each copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the block forming part of one of said grooves, a plurality of partitions and side members having their ends received in said grooves, the outer side members having secured thereto spring clip devices extending along side the beveled face of said blocks and having at their outer ends hook members adapted to overlap and engage the ends of said end members, and handle members projecting beyond said hook members.

2. In a mold for fence posts, a pair of end members having a series of spaced, vertical grooves, each of said end members having near its ends blocks projecting laterally toward the opposite end member having beveled outer surfaces, the inner surface of each block forming part of one of said groves, a plurality of partitions and side members having their ends received in said grooves, the outer side members having secured thereto spring clip devices extending along side the beveled face of said blocks and having at their outer ends hook members adapted to overlap and engage the ends of said end members, handle members projecting beyond said hook members, and means for preventing vertical movement of the end members with relation to said other members when the mold is assembled.

Des Moines, Iowa, May 29, 1917.

JOHN E. DOWDEN.

Commissioner 0! latents,

Washington, D. G." 

